Pugh Ford Bridge

The wooden deck has been replaced by metal grate. Before the 1997 rehab, the deck was chewed up with boards missing and splinters sticking up probably from speeding and heavy vehicles. Same thing was happening to the new deck.

I havent ever heard of this Big Bridge called the " Pugh Ford " bridge until i saw it called that on the website, I have always heard it called the " Pence Bridge " by alot of people in the county . I know a " ford " means to cross water where there is not a bridge at and i dont know of a ford anywhere around where the Big Bridge is at

I had just always thought that the reason that i would hear the Big Bridge called Pence Bridge was because the person's last name was Pence who built this Big Bridge

When bridges were built long ago, often they replaced a simple Ford in the stream. Often in the commissioner's records of those days the bridge would assume the name of that Ford when it was finished. That is the case with this bridge, which is shown in the records to have replaced a simple crossing known as Pugh Ford. Likely a person by the name of Pugh owned much of the land surrounding the bridge.

I would assume that at a later time someone with the name of Pence might have owned land around the bridge and that some might have referred to it as Pence Bridge.

It is not uncommon for a bridge to have more than one name, and I have seen some with 5 or 6 different ones.

I have never heard of a place called " Pugh Ford " anywhere and so therefore i don't know that a Pugh Ford exists but if it was called something " Ford " bridge --- i would guess it would be Flatrock River Ford Bridge since this is the Flat Rock River that this Big Bridge crosses

I had always thought and heard other people say that the person's last name that built this Big Bridge was Pence and that is why i had always heard this was called the Pence Bridge but i havent ever heard of the Pugh Ford Bridge or this Big Bridge called the Pugh Ford Bridge until i read it on this Website

Pugh Ford IS the researched historic name for this crossing. Pence Bridge is likely a more recent name.

I have heard of this Big Bridge called the Pence Bridge for many years on 900N across the Flat Rock River in German Township In Bartholomew County

Now i have heard of this Big Bridge called the "Hoot Out Hollar" Bridge but i haven't heard of the "Hoot Owl Hollar" Bridge ( there is a difference between out and owl )

The bridge is also called ''Hoot Owl Holler Bridge'' per my sit down conversation with Bartholomew County Engineer Danny Hollander in March 2010.

Pugh Ford is the historic name that dates back to the crossing here before the bridge was built. Likely the landowner here at the time was named Pugh.

I added the Pence name as an alternate name, as likely it comes from a more recent landowner.

The only name i have heard for this Big Bridge is called the Pence Bridge, I have never heard of the Pugh Ford Bridge on county road 900N across the Flat Rock River